UPDATE 2 - 35 missiles fired from Lebanon toward northern Israel

UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS

By Abdelraouf Arnaout

JERUSALEM (AA) - Israel reported on Friday monitoring the launch of 35 missiles from Lebanon toward the northern areas of the country.

The Israeli Army Radio reported that at least 35 missiles were fired from Lebanon toward the northern settlements in Israel.

No casualties were reported, the army radio added.

Earlier on Friday, Israel reported the launch of eight missiles from Lebanon targeting the northern region, which caused a fire but resulted in no casualties, according to Israeli media.

The Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation said “two anti-tank missiles were launched from Lebanon towards Avivim settlement without causing any casualties. However, the missiles sparked a fire in the area.”

After the sirens sounded in the settlement of Kiryat Shmona in the north, a missile was detected landing in an open area outside the city, the same source reported.

Five anti-tank missiles were also fired at the settlement of Metulla but landed in open areas, it added.

No casualties were reported, however, efforts to extinguish the fires have been ongoing since Thursday, the corporation said.

The Israeli army also announced on Friday that it had monitored the Lebanese group Hezbollah launching 16 drones from Lebanon within 72 hours.

In a statement, the army said: “Hezbollah launched 16 drones towards Israeli territory during the last 72 hours.”

“Air defense systems and warplanes succeeded in intercepting 11 drones,” it added.

There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah regarding the Israeli army's statement.

Tensions have risen sharply between Hezbollah and the Israeli army since the killing of senior Hezbollah commander Taleb Sami Abdullah in an Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon.

In retaliation, Hezbollah launched 150 rockets into northern Israel on Thursday, following an earlier barrage of 215 rockets and drone attacks on Wednesday.

This marked the largest single-day rocket launch by Hezbollah since the confrontations began on Oct. 8, 2023.

Tensions have risen along Lebanon's border with Israel amid cross-border attacks between Hezbollah and Israeli forces as Tel Aviv presses ahead with its deadly offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 37,200 people since last October since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi in Ankara